Floyd Mayweather Jr. was not a pay-per-view star before his 2007 fights with Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton.

The fight with De La Hoya did a record 2.44 million buys, but De La Hoya is the undisputed all-time pay-per-view king. May-

weather’s fight with Hatton did 900,000 domestic buys on HBO, as well as 1.4 million in Great Britain.

England’s Hatton has as fanatical a following as any boxer.

Mayweather already was a two-division world champion when he took on Arturo Gatti for a super lightweight title in his first pay-per-view fight in June 2005. It did 365,000 buys.

Mayweather fought Zab Judah in a welterweight title fight in April 2006. Mayweather promoter Bob Arum predicted it would do more than the 1.4 million buys De La Hoya-Felix Trinidad Jr. did in 1999.

But it sold 375,000 buys.

Mayweather’s welterweight title fight against Carlos Baldomir in November 2006 did 300,000 buys.

In other words, Mayweather has yet to prove he can generate big-time buys without fighting someone named De La Hoya or Hatton.

Mayweather (39-0, 25 KOs) has won titles in five weight classes, but how popular he has become remains to be seen. We’ll find out soon enough when he takes on Mexico’s Juan Manuel Marquez in a welterweight fight July18 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

It will be available on HBO pay-per-view for $49.95.

This will be a big pay-per-view test for Mayweather. If, after everything he has accomplished in the ring – not to mention the anticipation of him fighting again after a 17-month retirement – he can’t generate at least 750,000 buys, he will have failed this exam.

Mayweather and Marquez were on hand Monday in Los Angeles to begin a press tour, which this week also made its way to New York City and London.

Mayweather is intelligent, his trash-talking notwithstanding.

Instead of saying things such as Marquez has no chance, he is too big for the Mexican slugger who’s never fought at higher than lightweight and he doesn’t belong in the same ring with him, Mayweather sang a different tune.

“Marquez is a great Mexican warrior who is going to be in tremendous shape,” Mayweather said. “He is a hell of a guy and a hell of a fighter.”

Those were Mayweather’s words. Not surprising, though, because Mayweather has to know deep down he needs to produce big numbers for a fight some believe may not be a thriller because both are counter-punchers.

He needs to make people want to see this fight.

“I like to get hit, but I don’t get hit,” Mayweather said. “Marquez hits and gets hit. He seems used to it and still comes out on top 90 percent of the time.

“I expect a great fight. If Marquez is aggressive, it could turn into a brawl and that is exactly the type of fight fans love to see.”

Mayweather wasn’t finished. He also praised the fans he knows are going to have a lot to do with the pay-per-view numbers.

“I’ve got nothing but love for Mexican fans. They are some of the most loyal fans in boxing,” he said. “Mexican fans really know boxing inside and out.”

This is true. It’s just weird hearing Mayweather dole out so much love. He usually is tearing down someone.

Marquez (50-4-1, 37 KOs) made sure he said his weight disadvantage will not be an issue. He came with a little comedy, too.

“I have a tough fight with Floyd,” Marquez said. “I’m training right now and will go up to the mountains to build muscle for the fight.

“It isn’t exactly my weight. But that only means I’ll have to eat more tacos, burritos and carnitas.”

Leonard Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather promotions, pointed out just how much Mayweather has been missed.

“No matter where he goes, fans are always coming up to him asking, `When are you coming back?”‘ Ellerbe said.

De La Hoya is president of Golden Boy Promotions, which promotes Marquez. He made his pitch, too.

“This is truly a fight the fans want to get behind,” he said. “In my eyes, Mayweather is the best in the world, who is about to meet the No. 1 Mexican in the ring to duke it out and show who is truly No. 1.”

That’s funny.

When Manny Pacquiao – the consensus pound-for-pound king – was about to take on Golden Boy’s Hatton earlier this month, everyone associated with Golden Boy correctly was acknowledging Pacquiao was No.1.

Guess Pacquiao’s blistering second-round knockout of Hatton wasn’t enough to keep him there in the eyes of De La Hoya.

UCLA, USC boxing hits Venice Beach

The NCAA ceased to hold amateur boxing competition after 1960.

What a lot of people don’t know is that in 1976 the National Collegiate Boxing Association was founded.

Some 36 colleges – as well as branches of the service – currently have boxers registered in the NCBA, which is governed by USA Boxing.

Its most recent championships were last month.

And Sunday at Venice Beach, an event will feature members of the USC and UCLA boxing teams as well as boxers from the Marines, Navy and Air Force.

The card will begin at 2 p.m. outdoors at the Venice Recreation Center at 1800 Ocean Front Walk. Admission is free.

It is expected that seven of the bouts will feature members of the NCBA with the rest having regular amateurs registered with USA Boxing.

One NCBA boxer scheduled to compete is Ryan Kotey, the 2008 156-pound NCBA champion from the University of Nevada Reno who lost in the finals this year.

The card is being co-hosted by Joe Wheatley Productions – which runs Muscle Beach – and the Espada Boxing Club in association with Pro Fight Supplements.

Ramon Espada, a former amateur boxer out of Chicago, is head of Hollywood-based Espada Boxing. He has five boxers registered with the NCBA.

“It’s my understanding that this has been the highest number of registered schools since the sport used to be an NCAA sport,” Espada said. “I have been involved with college boxing for three years now and every year it seems like it’s growing.”

Espada said Sunday’s event should be tremendous. A similar event was held last year on Memorial Day weekend.

“It was a great turnout last year considering it was raining in the (San Fernando) Valley and a lot of parts of L.A.,” Espada said. “A lot of people thought the show would be canceled, but it was sunny at the beach.

“We had 15 bouts last year, this year we are looking to do 20. We had more time to promote this event.”

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